Happy, happy...

Pre-Holiday chores got y'all stressed out?
Click here and be magically delivered to Grandma's house.

50 pound turkey? Check. Bushel of sweet taters? Check. Crispy, crunchy runner beans? Oh, yeah. Half dozen pie pumpkins? Hmmm. Pumpkin Pie? That was soooo last year.... try baking up one of these goodies instead!

Bourbon Pecan Sweet Tater Pie
- 1 frozen pie shell
- 2 cups roasted sweet potatoes, peeled and shmooshed
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1.5 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. ginger
- 3/4 tsp. nutmeg
- 3 tablespoons Kentucky bourbon
-------------------------------------------------
- 1 cup toasted pecans (stove top, minute or two, teflon pan)
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 1/2 cup real maple syrup

Uno: Pre-bake your pie crust for about 10 minutes @ 425 (F).
Dos: Toss the top list into a large bowl. Grab your trusty mixer and beat until fluffy.
Tres: Pour into the pie shell and bake @ 375 (F) for 20 minutes.
Cuatro: Mix up the nuts, butter and maple syrup. Pour over the pie. Pop it back in the oven for another 25-30 minutes.
Cinco, cinco, seis: Have a slice. Or two. Or, three! Hey, it's the holidays. Enjoy it while ya can.

Here's to a lovely weekend, this proverbial calm before the storm. And, happy Thanksgiving to one and all.


* If you click that top link, you'll receive your very own Thanksgiving card from me to you, designed by Jacquie Lawson, a goddess among card creators, even if she does make me pay for a subscription.
** This yummy dessert is adapted from a recipe I discovered on allrecipes.com. Mine, naturally, contains more booze. (Just kidding. That was a test to see if you're actually reading this post...)
*** The Spanish bit is from an old song, from an old band, and if you cannot recall it, then clearly you have better taste in music than me. :)

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day ~ November, 2010

John Cabot Roses (post blooming extravaganza.)

Oh, dear little blog... how I have missed thee. And, my garden, too.

I believe this might be the longest break I've ever taken between blog posts. And, while I do have a great excuse, it doesn't make for a very good story.

Scabiosa ~ Look close. Not just flowering in this frigid world. Bravely putting forth new buds! You grow, girl.

A scary ear infection (Geez! Those things are painful) had me down for the count. I slept away an entire week thanks to Dr. Kevorkian, Jr. ~ that HMO whiz of mine ~ who's answer to any dilemma is... Here! Take more pills.

Euphorbia adds a crazy bit of color to this icy brown landscape.

So, I'm sorry I haven't been over to visit anyone's blogs. And, I'm still not better. But, I am fed up. Enough's enough. Thanksgiving is right around the corner and we've got company coming.

Plus today is Bloom Day! And, I gotta participate! Even if I don't have a single thing worth showing.

Some high in the sky apples, keeping the birdies happy and the horses frustrated:

One tricky little mushroom masquerading as a daisy:

And, Helianthus perennial sunflowers. Which, in my humble opinion, look just as pretty in winter time:


Pay a visit to Carol, author of May Dreams Gardens, who is also the crafty inventor of Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day.

Wordless Wednesdays: Autumn in the High Country

Locals: Find these gorgeous autumn colors along the High Line Trail. For more Wordless Wednesday participants, click here.

Tick. Tock.

The clock on my desk keeps ticking in earnest.

It proudly displays the time... and also the date. As I stare at this gadget I'm quite befuddled on how to proceed. Throw the clock away? It's obviously broken. Ticking through the last months of this year at far too quick a pace.

Orchids ~ all smiles ~ they get to blossom indoors. 

Outside is a whole 'nother story.

It cannot possibly be November 1st. Can it? (Please, don't answer that.) 'Cause I'm not even half way done with my autumn chores.

Surprise snows buried all sorts of tacky garden art.

Winter came in the pesky way it does sometimes ~ too early. Chopping an entire month off gardening. And, horseback riding. And, pretty much everything else this autumn lover loves to do.

Peering out my kitchen window onto the uninvited guest: gloomy weather joined me for morning coffee far too often this month.

Surprise snows, followed by sudden melts. Bad Dog and I slip-slide along the hiking trails like little piglets wallowing in the mud.

During the blur that 'twas the month of October I was gifted with these gorgeous Iris ~ in honor of my birthday. Inching ever closer to the 5th decade, I am now... officially...

... older than I was the last time I had a birthday. :)

I hope y'all had a marvelous weekend.